The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), commissioned by the Philippine Carabao Center (PCC), conducted Knowledge Management (KM) Workshop on Cross-regional Learning and Thematic Communities of Practice under the project, Building Capacity and Strengthening Partnership for Carabao Development Program. The workshops took place on 15 to 17 February 2016 at Park Inn Hotel, Clark, Pampanga. A total of 44 participants, composed of Regional Center Directors, Carabao-based Enterprise Development (CBED) Coordinators, Research for Development (R4D) Coordinators and officials and staff from PCC Main Headquarters are participating in the training.

The first workshop focused on Knowledge Management for Community-based Enterprises (KM4CBE). It aimed to enable participants to articulate an enhanced understanding and appreciation of KM and inter-regional learning to promote CBED; use and describe the features of an online discussion tool among Center Directors; and agree on and follow through actions to be taken at the regional level in preparation for the National Forum on Knowledge Sharing in CBED.

The remaining two days included a joint workshop among Center Directors and Regional Coordinators. It aimed to enable participants to articulate the mechanics and value of communities of practice (CoP) and of various online KM tools to support CoP work; identify CBE practices that must be documented and who will write them for input to the National Forum on Knowledge Sharing in CBED; identify feasible tools for cross-regional knowledge sharing; and identify capacity building needs of regional centers in relation to inter-regional learning and knowledge sharing.